Hrs Investigation Leaves 4 Out Of Work, 2 Suspended

Six of eight child abuse investigators suspected of falsifying records and leaving children in danger have resigned, been fired or suspended, state officials in Broward County said.

Another investigator was fired but successfully negotiated to get her job back. The eighth employee, the only supervisor in the group, has not been disciplined.

``They cleared my name totally -- every single thing,`` said the supervisor, Bentley Williams.

It was six months ago that allegations of falsification and sloppy casework rocked the Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services in Broward. The eight employees were reassigned during a state investigation, which found that some workers had doctored records to reflect work that was never done.

Most of the problems were found in the night unit, overseen by Williams.

Williams said he was asked whether he wanted to remain in the investigation department, but he declined. He was transferred to the Broward Juvenile Detention Center, where he checks paperwork to make sure juveniles are not improperly detained.

Discipline of Williams is still under consideration, said Loretta Duvall, head of family programs for HRS in Broward.

Two of the investigators, Rick Francis and Steve Ellis, have been fired. Althea Nunes and Mike McCalla have resigned, and Albert Douglas was suspended for 20 days, said Steve McMikle, an HRS administrator in Broward.

Another employee, John Saxon, has been suspended for 30 days, McMikle said.

Investigator Monica Bennett was fired, but she appealed to the Public Employee Relations Commission, McMikle said. In a settlement with HRS, she returned to her investigative job with retroactive pay, he said.

The upheaval has led to structural changes, Duvall said.

The night unit has been disbanded, and night employees are now working under a number of supervisors. That way, no single administrator is responsible for the quality of work done at night, she said.